Thursday, April 6, 2023

World Series: Did You Know?

Dickie Kerr's 1.42 earned run average in 1919 was only good enough for third best among hurlers (Min. 9 IP). It seemed like even one of the honest White Sox in '19 only went so far, and even today might not get noticed. There were five solid starters on the Cincinnati Reds that year. And even the very man Kerr beat in game three was no slouch.

Well, a precedent was set by the Cincy hurlers in the first two contests. Playing at home, it seemed the Reds' pitching held up. There fielding wasn't always sharp, alas. Dutch Ruether went out and sort of set the tone, beating Eddie Cicotte 9-1. The only run Ruether gave up was unearned, and the Cincinnati pitcher even went 3-3 at the dish. Let me put it to you in plain and simple terms: It wasn't the Pale Hose' day!

The Reds, with one win in the bag, extended the series lead to 2-0 with a 4-2 win in the second contest. Slim Sallee won it, and like Ruether, did not allow an earned run.

So, the 1919 Fall Classic moved to Comiskey Field in Chicago, and the White Sox had to get a move on. Dickie Kerr would pitch for the home team, while Ray Fisher went for Cincinnati.

The game was close, and Fisher found his wait for run support in vain. Even the fielding continued to be an issue. Kerr maybe needed a little more breathing room, as the game stayed close all the way. However, Dickie sent a message to the Reds: This is my day!

He got the side 1-2-3 in the first,, collecting a K of Heinie Groh. At first the defence was good behind Fisher. The very first batter of the game for the Sox, Nemo Leibold, sent a sinking shot to right. Greasy Neale snagged it at his shoestring!

Cincinnati would get men on, but couldn't get that one key hit. In the second, Pat Duncan singled, only to be stranded. Kerr got all three outs via grounders.

Chicago got two men on in the second, as Shoeless Joe Jackson opened with a single, Oscar "Happy" Felsch following with a bunt. The fielding behind Ray Fisher was bad here. But here's a little secret: It was the pitcher who tried to get the force on Jackson at second...Larry Kopf was there waiting for the ball...It seemed like an easy play as the bunt had been pretty much right to Fisher...But instead, a poor throw led to the ball going into centre field! Jackson actually went down in the process of passing the bag, but Edd Roush's throw from centre was too late. Felsch took advantage and motored into second. What should have been an easy force play was now second and third, nobody out!

Chick Gandil drove both men home with a single against a drawn-in infield. That 2-0 lead would prove huge. Dickie Kerr had all the offence he needed.

Fisher tried to help out his own cause in the top of the third. He sent a slow one towards third with one away. Kerr got over to it, and then smothered it with his whole body, the ball appearing to be headed over the foul line. Dickie taken a tumble! Alas, there was no rumble for Cincinnati. Kerr, getting himself back on top of things, got the next two batters out.

Ray Fisher battled on. He allowed two more hits in the third, but got Joe Jackson to pop up while trying to bunt. Then, he got Happy Felsch to hit into a double play, around the horn (5-4-3).

Kerr got a nice double play himself to get out of the fourth. The Reds had a man on for Pat Duncan. Duncan was having a great World Series so far, his batting average at exactly .500 (3-6). His bid for a second hit this afternoon ended when he lined to shortstop Swede Risberg (The last of the eight "Black Sox" to pass away). Heinie Groh had left second base, and was doubled off.

Chicago scored their third and final run of the afternoon in the fourth via a Risberg tripled and Ray Schalk single. Ray Fisher settled down, and Schalk got caught stealing. Cincinnati got the leadoff man on in the fifth, but again Dickie Kerr was ever the battler. Greasy Neale hit into a force. So did Bill Rariden, on which Eddie Collins made a nice play to stop the grounder. Reds manager Pat Moran allowed Fisher to bat for himself, and the pitcher grounded out.

Dickie Kerr's 3-0 began to look like 100-0 for the Reds. Down they went 1-2-3 in the sixth. Same thing in the seventh, as Kerr fanned Duncan. The eighth inning began with Greasy Neale whiffing. Bill Rariden followed by grounding out. Ray Fisher's day came to an end as Sherry Magee batted for him. Magee flied out to right.

The White Sox were retired in order by reliever Dolph Luque in the eighth, and that set the stage for Dickie Kerr to finish the ballgame. With a shutout?

Morrie Rath went out, Eddie Collins to first basemen Chick Gandil. Jake Daubert then became Kerr's fourth strikeout victim (And third in the last three frames). The game came to an end as Heinie Groh grounded out to third basemen Buck Weaver.

Kerr had been great. He'd finished with a flourish, retiring the last fifteen men to face him. The Reds managed just three hits, total. Dickie Kerr had been a master of control, four strikeouts against just one bases on balls. Ray Fisher had not pitched poorly, but took the loss. One earned run over seven innings. 

It seemed as though Kerr's win might be the only one for Chicago in this Fall Classic. Jimmy Ring went out and tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout for Cincinnati in game four. He was masterful, despite allowing three walks. Still, the game was close, ending only 2-0. Then, Hod Eller won game five with a three-hit shutout of his own. The Reds broke it open with four runs in the top of the sixth.

So Dutch Ruether's earned run average was 0.00, and so was Slim Sallee's, Jimmy Ring's, and now Hod Eller's. Dickie Kerr's was also 0.00, but now he'd be up against Ruether in game six of this best-of-nine affair. Something had to give. As it turns out, both pitcher's ERA's did. So did Ring's.

Still, the focus (From the Chicago standpoint) was on Dickie Kerr. He didn't come away from this empty-handed. In fact, before the game, he got something.

"Just before the game," wrote W.O. McGeehan, "a delegation of Texas oil men presented Kerr with a gold watch."

It seemed, for a while, to be the best moment of the game for the Chicago starting pitcher. 

It was all Cincinnati early. Kerr was not as sharp as he'd been in the third game. Redland Field was ready to celebrate a World Championship. Why not? Given the way that things were going for Cincinnati, the championship seemed a formality.

The big thing seemed to be that not only did the Reds have pitching, they had fielding. The White Sox had their fielding problems, which had undone their pitching. This game continued that trend. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch had a bad game. Risberg had committed two errors in five games coming into action here in the potential clincher, and he added to it. Happy Felsch had made a two terrible plays in game five, though charged with only one error. He'd commit another error in this contest.

Cincinnati had a whole lot of leather. Shano Collins sent one to short centre in the first. It appeared to be a hit, but second basemen Morrie Rath made the catch.

So Dickie Kerr had a tough first, having seen his team go down 1-2-3 in their half. The Reds were hitting his pitches. With two away, Heinie Groh sent one to right. It was good for two bases. Not three, only because Shano Collins scrambled to the ball, stopping it. Edd Roush sent one to short. While Swede Risberg got to it, there appeared to be no play for him. However, Groh went past third. Too far. Risberg pegged to Buck Weaver. Buck slapped the tag on him.

Kerr had managed to escape, and for a while, that was the story of his game. The Reds' gloves were scoring rave reviews from the sports writers of the day. Happy Felsch made a bid for a home run in the top of the second, only to have Greasy Neale, who caught it not to far from the wall.

Then came the errors for Chicago. Swede Risberg couldn't come up with Pat Duncan's grounder in the second. A bases on balls to Larry Kopf put two on. A bunt attempt by Greasy Neale resulted in a force at third. It was a big play. Still, Cincinnati had two men and only one out.

Dickie Kerr endued Bill Rariden to force Neale at second. Koft was now on third, however, and the Reds were getting closer and closer to scoring. Dutch Ruether was next, but Kerr got his mound adversary out on a comebacker. No easy task getting Ruether out. He was 3-3 off Eddie Cicotte in game one.

And then there was Dutch Ruether the pitcher, who had seemingly settled down. Dutch held Chicago in check in the White Sox's half of the third, despite walking Ray Schalk. And there was still more great defence from Cincinnati. Eddie Collins was having his troubles hitting in the 1919 World Series. But with Schalk on second and two away, Collins sent one to left,  "...and it looked like a double or better but Pat Duncan, the best late-season find of [Reds' Manager] at Moran, came scooting in and caught it before it fell and produced the ominous thud that seemed imminent," wrote McGeehan.

So the Reds were catching everything. The same could not be said for Swede Risberg. Not that he was to blame for Cincinnati breaking the ice in the last of the third.

Jake Daubert singled with one out. Dickie Kerr bore down and fanned Heinie Groh for his first K of the game. However, Cincinnati wasn't about to go away this inning. Edd Roush was up, and Daubert stole second. When Kerr hit Roush with a pitch, he had to face Pat Duncan. Duncan added to his early game six heroics by stroking a two-run double, plating Daubert and Roush.

Buck Weaver tried to start a rally in the top of the fourth. Duncan made another fine catch! So all Chicago got was Happy Felsch's single. It seemed like there would be little to no run support for Dickie Kerr this afternoon.

And how about these clowns in the field? They weren't helping either. Kerr couldn't be the only one at fault for the tragic events that unfolded for the Pale Hose in the bottom of the fourth. You couldn't blame Chicago manager Kid Gleason had he pulled his starter. 

Greasy Neale started it all with a triple, but the three-bagger had a bit to do with Shano Collins mistiming the shot. Bill Rariden grounded out, Neale holding at third. Dutch Ruether was back at the dish. He made it 4-5 at the dish in the 1919 World Series with a run-scoring ground-rule double. 3-0, Reds.

Cincinnati was not done. Swede Risberg got a hold of a grounder, and tried to make the play at third. Well, all Risberg did was hit Ruether in the back, and the Cincinnati pitcher ended up scoring on the play. The Reds were really playing well.

Morrie Rath, whose grounder should have resulted in the second out, then made Chicago pay even more by swiping third. Jake Daubert was up. Kerr started him off badly. Ball one. Ball two. On the next pitch, Daubert got a hold of one and sent it to left. Joe Jackson made the catch, but Rath tagged...Out at home!

That was a lucky break by Chicago, but they still trailed 4-0. When would these guys wake up? They hadn't scored since the bottom of the fourth inning in Dickie Kerr's last start. A span of twenty-six innings.

But then, the first two men drew free passes of Ruether in the top of the five. Dickie Kerr was next up. He must have felt, "No one else is hitting in the clutch, so I'd better." Kerr got an infield single.

The sacs were full of White Sox. Swede Risberg was on third. Ray Schalk, second. And now their surprising star pitcher was on first. Shano Collins flied out to Edd Roush. Then, Eddie Collins sent one to centre, on which Risberg tagged up and scored. Kerr, though, seemed to be like Risberg: Making mistakes! Accidentally, mind you. Kerr went to second, only to find catcher Ray Schalk there. Edd Roush tossed it in to Morrie Rath, and Kerr was tagged out. A potentially big inning and all Chicago had was one puny run. The scored was still 4-1 for Cincinnati. Were the Pale Hose good at screwing up or what?

Esteemed writer Grantland Rice certainly thought so. "The Sox were not only floundering in the field," he said, "but when their chance arrived on attack, they were even more futile."

Still, any scribe would have had nothing but praise for the White Sox one inning later. They got rid of Dutch Ruether. His mastery of the Pale Hose went south, all at once.

It all started when Buck Weaver led off the sixth with a double, that fell between Larry Koft in short and Pat Duncan in left. Following this game, Heinie Groh pointed out the Weaver double was huge. Did the Reds' third basemen ever get that right! Joe Jackson only singled, but that cashed in Weaver, and the lead was slashed to 4-2. Happy Felsch doubled, and Jackson scored. Chicago was suddenly within a run of Cincinnati. Three big blows in a row off a pitcher that had once owned them.

In a curious decision, Pat Moran brought in Jimmy Ring. Ring had been outstanding in his start vs. Chicago in the fourth contest. Why waste him here? If Ring pitched a long relief outing, and Cincinnati lost, then he might not be available until much later in the 1919 Fall Classic.

Well, Ring came in and retired the first two men to face him. So it looked like a genius move by Moran. Ray Schalk, having a fine afternoon, disrupted any thoughts of champagne sipping, tying the game with a clutch single.

It had been a great inning, and why not have their pitcher redeem himself for giving up four runs? Kerr took ball one, then fouled off the next pitch. With his battery mate running, Ring delivered the third pitch. A poor throw by Bill Rariden helped Ray Schalk beat the throw. The count went to 2-2, and Dickie Kerr hit one to right on the ground. That's where third basemen Heinie Groh made a fine play and whipped the ball to first for the last out.

From there, it seemed like Chicago's bats when cold again. Kerr would have to battle this out with Jimmy Ring, who picked up where he left off in the fourth game. Greasy Neale led off with a bit of a fluke hit in the sixth for Cincinnati. But nothing came of it, and Neale ended up getting caught stealing to end the Reds' half of the frame. The next inning, the Reds put two men on with just one out, but then Edd Roush hit into a inning-ending double play. Roush had swung at Kerr's first offering.

The White Sox appeared to carry the momentum as the game headed to the eighth. Ring's control eluded him as he walked Shoeless Joe (On five pitches) and Chick Gandil (On four offerings). But then, it was Edd Roush taking a hit away from Swede Risberg, and Jackson was doubled off second. The Cincinnati centre fielder was having one awesome day with the glove, starting two double plays!

The bottom of the eighth seemed to be no problem for Dickie Kerr. First, Pat Duncan hit one foul to right, and Chick Gandil caught it near the seats. Larry Kopf was up, and got ahead 2-0. Kerr brought it 2-2, and then grabbed a liner. That seemed to be a bit of a turning point for the Reds, as Kerr called time.

His hand was numbed a bit, as well as bruised. Bill James began to throw in the White Sox bullpen. So the Reds appeared to pounce. First, Greasy Neale singled. And then Bill Rariden singled off Kerr's glove. Two on, two out. Jimmy Ring batted for himself, and forced Rariden for the third out. Kerr had really battled to keep this a 4-4 ballgame.

But could Chicago get a run off Jimmy Ring? He now had a dozen innings pitched and the Pale Hose had not scored a run off him. The game went to extras, and Ring had kept his earned run average in the 1919 World Series at 0.00 through thirteen frames.

But, Buck Weaver opened the top of the tenth with a double. Joe Jackson bunted with the intention of getting Weaver to third. Well, it worked out better than that, as Jackson beat the throw to first. Happy Felsch swung and missed on a 2-2 pitch. One out. However, Chick Gandil sent a 0-1 pitch into centre field. Had the Cincinnati Reds' infielders been positioned further back, they just might have had a play on the ball. In any even, Dickie Kerr would go out to the last of the tenth only with a one-run lead. Swede Risberg lined into an inning-ending double play.

But Ed Roush grounded out on an 0-1 pitch. Pat Duncan popped up to Ray Schalk. On the second pitch from Kerr, Larry Kopf grounded to second basemen Eddie Cicotte, who pegged it to Chick Gandil at first. Game over! Kerr had survived eleven hits, winning 5-4.

"Like the boxer he once was," wrote Harvey Frommer, "Dickie Kerr was on the ropes throughout the game. He gave up eleven hits, but he stayed the distance."

As for numbers, Kerr had allowed three earned runs. But combine that with his complete-game shutout in game three, and the White Sox pitcher's earned run average was 1.42. Dutch Ruether, on the other hand, had allowed four earned runs over five innings of work (Plus, he'd pitched to three batters in the sixth). So his ERA was up to 2.57. Jimmy Ring's fine relief outing made his earned run average 0.64.

Slim Sallee took the hill in the seventh game for Cincinnati. He brought with him a 0.00 earned run average of his own. Yet, it was Eddie Cicotte (0-2, 4.26 ERA), beat him, 4-1. Sallee lasted just 4 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and two earned runs. That spiked his earned run average up to 1.35. That was still a bit better than Dickie Kerr. Cicotte had dropped his own earned run average to a respectable 2.91, but it seemed like the Fall Classic was a struggle for him. Even in 1917, the lowly New York Giants had given him all he could handle. The win here only upped his lifetime record in the Fall Classic to 2-3.

Hod Eller, who'd pitched a shutout in the fifth game, seemingly putting Cincinnati in the driver's seat, went into game eight with a 0.00 earned run average of his own. He got out of jams in the first and second inning unscathed. Eventually, Eller allowed a solo home run by Shoeless Joe Jackson, but was cruising. Up 10-1 after seven, Hod faltered. Chicago launched a serious barrage in the eighth, aided by some poor Cincinnati fielding. The Pale Hose scored four times that frame, and even got runners to second and third in the ninth, before the final out was recorded. For his efforts, Eller posted a 2.00 ERA in the 1919 World Series.

Dickie Kerr had to take a backseat to Ring and Eller. If you want to throw in relievers / spot starters, than Dolph Luque and Ray Fisher had better earned run averages. Luque's was 0.00 in five innings, while Fisher's was 1.17 in 7 2/3 innings. But among pitchers with at least nine innings, Dickie Kerr, the "third best" pitcher available for the Fall Classic by the Pale Hose, was right up there with any of Cincy's aces.



References



Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.


Fountain, Charles. Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball. OXFORD University Press, 2017. 


Frommer, Harvey. Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball. Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub., 1992. Print.


McGeehan, W O. “White Sox Rally For Ten-Inning Victory Over Reds - Ruether Is Battered Out.” New York Tribute, 8 Oct. 1919, p. 14, https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/79065594/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023. 


Morissey, Scott C. 114 World Series in 1 Book. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020. 


Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.


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Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. 


“Play-by-Play Story of Game.” New-York Tribute, 8 Oct. 1919, p. 14, https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/79065594/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.


Rice, Grantland. “Ruether Batted Out of Box; Sox Win in the 10th.” New-York Tribute, 8 Oct. 1919, pp. 1,14, https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023. 


Ryder, Jack. “Chicago, Outclassed, Loses First Game 9-1.” The Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 1919. (Reprinted in 1919 Cincinnati Reds, Sewell, J. Scott)


----------------“Cicotte Keeps Socks in Series, Trimming Cincinnati 4 to 1.” The Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 Oct. 1919. (Reprinted in 1919 Cincinnati Reds, Sewell, J. Scott)


Sanborn, I E. “Sox Humbled In Fourth Game, 2-0.” Chicago Sunday Tribute, 5 Oct. 1919. (Reprinted in 1919 Cincinnati Reds, Sewell, J. Scott)


Sewell, J. Scott. 1919 Cincinnati Reds. J. Scott Sewell, 2020.


Shoeless Joe Jackson Virtual Hall of Fame, www.blackbetsy.com/shoeless.html. 06 Apr. Mar. 2023.


Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, https://sabr.org/. 06 Apr. Mar. 2023.


Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 06 Apr. 2023. 


Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. Total Baseball, Creative Multimedia Corp, 1994. CD-Rom edition.


Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 06 Apr. 2023.

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